Heads Up Feb. 25, 2022
Holiday Closures
All City of Boulder administrative facilities and Age Well Centers will be closed Thursday, July 4, for the Independence Day holiday. Some facilities and services will remain open.
Here’s some need-to-know information for the week:
South Boulder Recreation Center Repairs and Service Impacts
The South Boulder Recreation Center (SBRC) has been a vital part of our community since 1974. Last year, SBRC’s boiler failed and flooded the gym. In addition, a pool leak is increasing the moisture levels in the gym. BPR is coordinating these two repairs while continuing a reduced level of service at the facility.
BPR plans to close the pool from late May to early June, when outdoor pools are open, to repair the pool and replace the gym floor. The gym will remain closed until that time.
BPR is working with the city’s Facilities and Maintenance Department to identify a flooring product that can meet the primary needs for the space as a large indoor exercise area and is sensible given the short remaining lifecycle of the building. BPR is currently receiving quotes for the removal of the current gym floor.
Looking to the future, the city completed a “Recreation Centers Condition Assessment” in 2016 to ensure we were caring for all city recreation centers appropriately. That plan identified that SBRC will have reached the end of its useful life in 2026, and BPR should begin planning for its retirement and/or replacement.
To begin planning for that scenario, BPR included a new “Recreation Centers Needs Assessment” in the scope of its recent Master Plan Update to help us determine how to ensure Boulder’s recreation centers can meet the needs of the community now and into the future. Those findings will be discussed with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and City Council over the next several months and align with the findings and policies of the recently accepted Facilities Master Plan and the city’s climate initiatives.
Those conversations will include evaluating service levels and potential appropriate funding mechanisms to fund any refurbishment and enhancement of all three of the city’s recreation centers. While the recently approved CCRS included a major retrofit of the East Boulder Community Center as a named project in the first tranche of projects, any major updates to the SBRC and NBRC are currently unfunded.
While the future of the SBRC is to be determined, our commitment to promoting health and well-being is strong and we look forward to figuring this out with our community.
If you have questions or wish to request additional information, please contact Ali Rhodes, director of Parks and Recreation.
Regards,
Nuria